About A Real Pain
Written, directed by and co-starring Jesse Eisenberg alongside a scene-stealing Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain is a deft and moving dramedy that sees two polar opposite cousins reunite for a tour through Poland to honour their beloved grandmother.
Intended by Eisenberg to explore ‘epic pain vs. modern pain’, it sees neurotic, hyper-articulate David (Eisenberg) and chaotic misfit Benji (Culkin) rub up against each other on a group trip for Jewish Americans that’s counterintuitively led by a non-Jewish Brit (Will Sharpe) and takes in Warsaw, Lublin and Majdanek Concentration Camp, as well as their grandmother’s last home in Poland. Deriving comedy from the fact that Benji is as oblivious to awkwardness as David is alive to it, A Real Pain is deeply perceptive on the legacy of ancestral pain and trauma, with a humanistic script rooted in Eisenberg’s own family past.
Booking info
To book Accessible tickets and free Companion tickets, please visit our Accessible Bookings page. Companion tickets will initially show a standard ticket price, but once your account is set-up and you are logged in, this will be reduced to £0 at checkout.
Duration includes trailers, adverts and any Q&A/panel. For events such as NT Live, Colour Box and Reel & Meal there will be minimal advertising. We do not admit latecomers after the main feature has started and we have a limited food & drink policy.
MAC’s cinema programme has been generously supported by BFI Film Audience Network and Film Hub Midlands.
